Corset-clasp



(No Model.)

M. W; HENIUS;

CORSET CLAS-P.

No. 396,484. Patented Jn. Z2, 1889.

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UNITED STATES trice.

MAX IV. IIENIUS, OF BRIDGEIORT, CONNECTICUT.

CORSET-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,484, dated January 22, 1889. Application filed May 22, 1888. Serial No. 274,713. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MAX W. HENIUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairlield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corset-Clasps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its obj ect to provide a corset-clasp the parts of which may be engaged and disengaged in the usual manner, or all of the studs of which may be disengaged by a single slight movement without moving the busks toward each other.

Tith this end in view I have devised the simple and novel construction of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being' used to denote the several part-s.

Figure l is a front elevation of my novel corset-clasp, the parts being in the engaged position; Fig. 2, a rear elevation thereof; Fig. 3, a front elevation showing the parts in the disengaged position; and Fig. at is an elevation of a portion of a pair of busks, illustrating a modification in t-he construction and operation of the pivoted portion of one of the eyes.

l denotes a corset-husk having the usual clasping-studs, 2, and 3 a similarbusk carrying the eyes. These eyes are made in two parts, (denoted, respectively, bylV and The upper part, which I have denoted by I, is rigidlysecured to the busk by rivets or in any suitable manner. The lower portionof the eye, which .I have denoted by 5, is pivoted to the busk directly under part I, as at 7. The openings in the eyes to receive the studs may be made in any preferred forni, the usual form being a central opening amply large to receive the head of the stud and a slot lying longitudinally to the eye to receive the shank of the stud after the head has been passed through the central opening. Justbelow pivot 7 in parts 5 are angle-slots S, the lower portions of which are longitudinal to the busk, the upper portions lying at an oblique angle thereto.

9 denotes slots inbusk S, which register with the lower portion of slots 8 when the two parts of the eye are at the closed position, as in Figs. l and 2. At the back of busk 3 is a slide, 10,having studs 11, which pass through slots S and 9, and are headed at their outer ends to prevent the parts from becoming detached, but at the same time permitting the studs to slide freely in the slots. At the lower end of the slide is a spring, l2, one end of which is connected to the slide and the other end to the lower end of the busk, the action being' to draw the slide downward, which throws parts 5 of the eyes to the closed position, as shown.

It will be noticed in Fig. l that the longitudinal portion of slots 8 is shorter than slot-s 9, so that when studs ll are moved upward before being stopped by the limit of slots 9' said studs will have passed into the oblique portion of slots 8. This will throw parts 5 of the eyes to the position shown in Fig. 3, which permits the studs 2 to drop away from the eyes. It is an important feature of my invention that the movable parts of the eyes are normally held at the closed position, and, furthermore, that they can only be thrown to the open position by actual movement of the slide against the power of spring l2. The latter feature is owing to the special construction of slots S.

It will be seen that when downward pressure is applied on either of the parts 5 to throw it to its open position the parts are in fact locked and immovable, the pressure being transmitted b-y the straight side of the longitudinal portion oit slot 8 directly against the stud, there being no cam action whatever, so that even were sufficient pressure brought to bear to bend the metal of one of the parts 5 there would still be no effect upon the slide, and the other-parts 5 could notbe moved without moving the slide. I thus insure that in use it shall be vimpossible to unlock the clasp except by moving the slide. As both parts of the eyes are secured to the busk, it is apparent that in bending the busk inward and outward to tit the curves of the figure the parts of the eyes will not be displaced in the horizontal plane.

It will of course be apparent that any suit- IOO able means maybe adopted to move the slide and unlock the clasp. I preferably provide a slot, 15:3, at the upper end of busk 3, and a stud, lli, secured to the slide, whieh extends upward through this slot. I also attach a loop of cord, l5, to this stud, t'or Convenience inf -operation. This construction has an additional advantage, in that when a pull Ais given to the oord to unlock the clasp in use the pull will act to draw lousk 3 upward slightly, thereby detaching the parts of the eyes from the studs oi' busk l.

It will be noticed in Fig. 3 that the outer ends ot' parts t of the eyes are curved inward, forming hook-shaped projections 1G, against which the studs on busk l. rest in use. ',lhe ends of' parts 5 are made shorter than the ends of parts tand overlap them in the Closed position, as Yindicati-d in Fig'. il. This gives all the strength to the eyes that can possibly be required, and at the same time allows the studs to drop out readily when the parts 5 of the eyes are thrown to the open position and busk drawn upward in the act of unclasping, as already described. It will thus be seen that the strain of a tightly-laced Corset is entirely taken by the rigid and strong eye portions at., instead of by the movable and relatively weaker eye portions 5. Moreover, ab-

sence of strain upon said movable portions enables them to be operated readily by the slide without eneounteringl resisting, friction from the studs.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig'. 4 slot 9 in bnsk 3 is dispensed with, and slot S is made in the busk instead of in part 5 of the eye, stud Il passing through said slot and bein made rigid to part 5 as well as to the slide. In this form the slide swings outward slightly when it is drawn up, stud l1 following the slot and throwing,` part 5 to the open position, as in the other form.

llaving thus deseribed my invention, I Claim l. A corset-clasp eomprisin abusk having studs, a secon d busk havingl fixed eye portions 4, curved to form hooks 16, pointing slightly inward toward said seeon d bnsk, and thereby adapted to hold the studs and take all of the strain when the corset is tightly laced, lnovable eye portions also carried by said second husk and adapted to prevent the escape ot' the studs when the eorset is loosely laced, and a slide con nec-,tin g' and adapted to operate said movable eye portions, substantially as set vforth.

2. A corset-clasp comprising a busk having studs, a second busk having fixed eye portions 4, pivoted movable eye portions 5, having vertical slots and also carried by said second busk, and a slide, l0, carrying studs engaging said vertical slots ot' eye portions 5, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix. my signature in `presence of two witnesses.

MAX XV. HENIUS.

\Yitn esses:

A. M. XNToosTER, 'BERTHA E. LEE. 

